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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22694503">Cracking Veneer</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/madamecrimson/pseuds/madamecrimson'>madamecrimson</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Anything Like That [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Watcher Entertainment, Watcher Entertainment (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, Spoilers, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 10:40:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,690</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22694503</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/madamecrimson/pseuds/madamecrimson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Spoilers for Watcher Weekly #006.</p><p>The tension between Ryan and Shane was so thick that it was even more obvious than their normal obvious flirtations. Steven had no idea what happened on their movie night but there was a definite shift. There was a noticeable physical distance that they were consciously keeping from one another. Conversation didn't flow as naturally and the office had at times been uncomfortably silent. Steven wondered what would happen now that they would be starting to shoot their Buzzfeed shows again. He made sure to stay in touch with Sara just to see what he was going to be in for. When it came time to film the 6th episode for Watcher Weekly, there was again another shift.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Background Shane Madej/Sara Rubin - Relationship, Ryan Bergara/Shane Madej</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Anything Like That [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1622158</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>60</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Cracking Veneer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They were filming at a much earlier time that day than they normally did which worked to Steven's advantage. He ensured that he was the first one there so that Shane and Ryan would be forced to sit next to one another on the couch while he took the chair. Sara had reported back to him that Shane had acted odd after his latest Unsolved shoot; he was unusually quiet, irritable, and though his eyes were filled with the normal post-shoot exhaustion, she could see the ache that hid behind them. She said she wasn't sure if something had happened, or if something hadn't happened, but she told Steven to keep his eyes open. Steven noticed the gap between them on the couch while they waited to start filming, but as soon as they began it quickly became apparent that the sexual tension between them was hanging on by a thin taut thread at best.  </p><p>"Button up here, I don't want to show this much chest," Shane mumbled, looking over at Ryan as he said it. </p><p>His voice was low, his tone thick with something Steven couldn't place or perhaps didn't want to. He noticed Ryan's eyes immediately flit to Shane's chest, eyes hungrily taking in the small exposed bit of skin, closely watching the the movements of Shane's fingers. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Ryan gripping tightly at his elbow, knuckles turning white with the strain.  </p><p>"It's okay," Steven replied, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. He had to wonder what the hell had happened, or didn't happen, when they were filming Unsolved. </p><p>Ryan giggled somewhat nervously as they introduced the show, and it was clear that Shane and Ryan were both extremely exhausted. Their Watcher hours were during the day, so returning to night hours for Unsolved must have been difficult. Running a new company while still filming for Buzzfeed had taken a toll on all of them. It had been a lot. </p><p>As Steven began talking about "Top 5 Beatdown," he noticed that it had barely been a few minutes and Ryan and Shane were already sitting so close together that their arms were nearly touching. Steven then spoke about how "Grocery Run" would be premiering this week, as an awkward moment occurred between his two co-heads. Ryan was straightening his shirt, and Shane leaned a hand over, perhaps to fix it for him? Steven wasn't sure, but he did note that Shane tried to cover it up, although he ended up poorly disguising it with a random gesture.</p><p>The conversation continued, and they discussed the fact that they were up far earlier than usual that morning. Ryan seemed unusually fixated about Shane's morning routine, but Steven could not recall a time where any thing had been normal between them. </p><p>"I don't need to tell this guy this," Ryan smiled, hooking his thumb toward Shane,"but he knows I'm on hat time." </p><p>"What is hat time?" Shane asked in confusion. </p><p>"Hat time--" Ryan started to say. </p><p>"Oh! I know what hat time is," Shane responded, his face breaking out into a grin. </p><p>"Oh okay," Steven stated as if he understood. Or at least, he thought he did. </p><p>"Hat time is, you put on a hat," Ryan explained, demonstrating the motion, "'cause you don't even have enough time to do your hair. You just walk out the door."</p><p>"You did it today," Shane commented. </p><p>Ryan turned to Shane to say something, a light blush on his cheeks, before Shane interrupted and shifted the conversation to their new hair developments. At least this was something they could all joke about. </p><p>Shane then went on to mention that they had been filming Unsolved that week. Shane commented on how he wasn't actually that tired, and Steven mentioned he had been on central time. Ryan interrupted his explanation to state that they were filming Unsolved and Worth It this week. Steven wasn't really sure why the interruption was necessary, especially as Shane had already mentioned Unsolved, and Steven could have easily mentioned Worth It later on when talking about Grocery Run. It left him slightly peeved. </p><p>"Gonna completely ignore what he was saying," Ryan commented, eliciting a laugh from Shane. </p><p>Steven wondered if that was the reason Ryan had cut in; Shane and he were having a conversation that perhaps Ryan didn't feel like he could contribute to, and he wanted Shane's attention back on him. Steven tried to keep his tone light as he chastised Ryan for interrupting, but there was an undercurrent of annoyance in his voice. </p><p>"I'm jumping to what's important, no one cares what you were about to say Steven," Ryan said coolly. </p><p>Steven responded with an indignant expression. </p><p>"They care about the shows!" Ryan went on dismissively. </p><p>Shane placed the tip of his finger on his nose. "I'm gonna put a button on it I'm gonna touch my nose so we remember to circle back," he told Steven. </p><p>"Okay, button button me up," Steven replied, placing a finger on his nose as well. </p><p>"Continue Ryan," Shane invited. </p><p>Steven was thankful that Shane had acknowledged what he was saying and that he would be given room to talk, but he sort of felt like an older brother whose younger sibling was being a brat and and placated by their parent. Especially since Shane had told Ryan to go first, even though Ryan was the one who interrupted. </p><p>"Yes Unsolved and Worth It are coming back," Ryan stated. "We're shooting them right now. That's what you need to gather from that. If you don't get anything this episode that's what you should get." </p><p>Shane exchanged a knowing look with Steven, and Steven was glad that at least Shane was acknowledging Ryan's immature behavior. </p><p>Steven's eyes widened as Ryan finished what he was saying. "That's the one thing?" he asked, voice marginally louder than his usually mild tone. </p><p>"It's the one thing that seems to need to be answered, I'll say that," Ryan laughed. </p><p>"Alright," Shane said. "Now that we've got your dumb thing out of the way, let's get back to talking about time zones." </p><p>Steven was grateful that Shane had taken control of that situation, but he knew there was no malice in Shane's comments. He saw Ryan grin around the rim of his coffee mug. </p><p>Steven tried to talk again, only to be interrupted by Ryan, again, as the other man reached out to touch Steven's shirt and ask what it was made of. It was seemingly so odd and out of place, but the reason behind Ryan's actions soon became clear.</p><p>"Stop it Ryan!" Shane said sternly. "You're being rude." Shane then placed a hand on Ryan's shoulder, pulling him away from Steven. "Stop it." </p><p>Steven dropped his gaze as he continued on with his story. Ryan seemed more jealous than normal, misbehaving whenever Shane seemed to pay the slightest amount of attention to Steven. He wondered how the hell Sara managed to put up with this for so long. Steven eased slightly as he began talking excitedly about Texas and the Bucky's he'd visited there. Shane and Ryan would chime in here and there, drifting toward one another so their arms were pressed together one moment, only to shift and create more distance between them the next. It was like some sort of really awkward dance and made Steven wonder if forcing them to sit on the couch this time had really been the best idea. </p><p>When Steven mentioned that Bucky's sold merch, Shane was quick to put in a plug for their own merch. </p><p>"Shotgun stickers or something?" Ryan giggled as Steven continued rattling off his list of the things he'd seen at Bucky's. </p><p>"Ryan doesn't know what the rest of the country is like," Shane commented sardonically. </p><p>Steven watched as Ryan faced the camera, but his eyes moved to the side to steal a glance at Shane. He was thankful when Shane shifted the topic over to the "Top 5" episode that had premiered. The space between Ryan and Shane had increased again, and Steven hoped that maybe this meant the episode would run a little smoother now. Ryan encouraged fans to send in their lists for their top 5 fast food places, revealing that he'd seen some stinkers so far. Steven frowned at that, arguing against the quality of Ryan's list, before Ryan said that he'd seen a top comment complimenting it. As Ryan moved to do an exaggerated chef's kiss, Steven watched as Shane's gaze seemed to follow Ryan's movements intently, his eyes dark with hunger. Steven felt a bit awkward watching, but reminded himself that this was a full film set with an episode that was going to be shown to the world. But he realized that once again, they were hiding behind the veneer of the camera, able to explain away any odd behavior by blaming it on a bit.</p><p>Shane smiled at Ryan, his voice coming out thick and rough before he quickly modified his tone of voice. "Oh that's, that's a good one," Shane stated. </p><p>Steven was slightly uncomfortable with the fact that their flirtation today seemed to have reached new heights, not because he had any issue with them being in a relationship, but more to do with the fact that they still <i>weren't</i> in a relationship. </p><p>Shane went on to mention that fans had been curious about Steven's list of top 5 fast food places, and Ryan told them that Jon's list had been popular. As Ryan spoke, Shane's gaze moved to the side of Ryan's jaw, dragging upward as he stared at Ryan's lips. Steven surmised that Ryan could be reading the phone book and Shane would still have that lustful expression on his face. They continued on, mentioning the fact that Jon hadn't done a chef's kiss and they speculated about it, Ryan and Shane physically attempting different variations. </p><p>"Maybe it's a sanitary thing," Steven suggested. "It's like oh, I can't kiss because--" </p><p>"Because I'm using my hands to make food," Shane finished. </p><p>"Right," Steven agreed. </p><p>"Yeah, I don't think it's like," Shane said, slipping his finger into his mouth and making a slurping noise before he pretended to dip his finger into an imaginary cooking pot. </p><p>Ryan's eyes widened slightly at the sight of Shane's finger passing his lips. A small awkward smile appeared on his face before he looked away completely. Steven felt as if he was in the middle of some sort of...weird pre-foreplay. </p><p>Shane then went on to announce that the first episode of Grocery Run was going to be posted soon. Steven began launching into a summary of what the show was about before noticing that Ryan and Shane appeared to be having a private little conversation of their own. </p><p>"I think that show's really good," Shane murmured. </p><p>"Shut up," Ryan told him shortly. "Shut up." </p><p>Shane apologized for the interruption and Steven dismissed it, trying to move things forward, but he felt defeated. </p><p>"We're just talking shit to each other," Ryan laughed, as Steven and Shane talked over him, trying to have an actual conversation about their content. </p><p>Steven decided to continue regardless, and commented that Grocery Run was definitely more of a chill show.</p><p>Shane agreed. "Whereas Spooky Small Talk is all about putting, them, you know, in the hot zone. It's about putting them in the chill zone." </p><p>"But then I put them in a little bit of the hot zone because we go back to their apartment or house or home whatever and they cook up a signature dish for me," Steve elaborated.</p><p>"You go back to their apartment and you call that the hot zone? What are you doing with them at their apartment?" Ryan inquired incredulously.</p><p>That admittedly made Steven laugh but Ryan's eyes immediately darted to Shane, eagerly waiting for his reaction. They talked a bit more, somewhat getting off track a little but that was normal for them. It was then time to play the trailer for Grocery Run. Steven was really proud of it, and was glad Shane and Ryan had offered him positive feedback as well. </p><p>"Hot trailer," Ryan said once the trailer was finished. He looked directly at Shane when he said it too, his tone oddly flirtatious for such a simple comment.</p><p>Steven went on to highlight the fact that he had wanted to showcase Asian American representation, highlighting the YouTubers who inspired him so much when he was growing up. Ryan teased him a bit about not getting hired at a job he applied for with Phillip Wang, when now Shane's jealousy was subtly coming out, wanting to recapture Ryan's attention. </p><p>"Steven's drinking out of the Ryan mug," Shane pointed out. </p><p>"Am I?" Steven asked, lifting the mug and checking the underside. </p><p>"Yeah," Shane confirmed. </p><p>Steven saw that Shane was correct. "Hey, gotcha!" he teased Ryan. "Well no," he then amended. "I got this mug after he got that mug so..." </p><p>"I'm like Andy from Toy Story," Shane imitated in an impression of Ryan. </p><p>"Whatever," Ryan returned. "This is my mug now, no one will ever drink it." </p><p>It was then that Ryan decided to make a big show of sensually licking around the rim of the mug. Steven, entirely nonplussed, merely continued drinking from his own mug. He noticed Shane's eyes widen initially, only for his face to contort into one of contrived disgust only seconds later. </p><p>"Ew! Jesus Christ!" Shane laughed, Ryan letting out a cackle along with him. </p><p>Steven knew that to their viewers, it probably looked like an authentic reaction, but Shane's voice usually only went high pitched like that when he was nervous or embarrassed. Steven also noted that Shane had his mug sitting in his lap, one hand folded on top of the other; throughout his entire played up reaction, the hand on top tightly gripped the bottom one. </p><p>It was then time to move onto questions from their audience. Now, Shane and Ryan were sitting so close to one another that their shoulders were literally pressed together. Their conversation was a bit all over the place from PO boxes to inviting the fans to send in videos of themselves introducing the show in a fun way. Ryan then jokingly suggested that the fans sneak into Steven Lim's house while he was sleeping and to record their videos there. </p><p>"And then just give him a little--" And then Shane kissed the air, Ryan's cheeks growing red as he laughed it off and acted like he wasn't staring at Shane's lips. </p><p>The show went on as they answered a fan's question about Steven's top 5 fast food places and they all chimed in with their opinions. Steven defended Skyline Chili as Ryan and Shane joked around, seamlessly playing off the other one and questioning Steven's love of it. It was incredibly frustrating. They were so in sync when it came to joking around and even being near one another, but with neither of the making the first move things were never going to go anywhere. And Steven would remain caught in the middle of their weird dynamic. He decided to be bold, and admittedly to amuse himself a little by shaking things up a bit. </p><p>"You know what?" Steven said. "I'm anti-chef's kiss, but I'm going to do it right now." </p><p>Steven leaned in towards Ryan, performing a very exaggerated chef's kiss. As he moved into Ryan's personal space, Ryan squawked in reply and recoiled back against Shane so now they were pressed even closer. That had turned out better than he had expected. </p><p>The went on with another fan question that inquired why they hadn't included Chipotle in their episode of Top 5. They reiterated the fact that it was excluded as it didn't have a drive thru, and began listing off other places that they had excluded as well. </p><p>The comment that followed suggested making the box from the previous episode a recurring character from the show. They revealed that they had another box today, all of them ramping up the anticipation for it to be opened. Steven opened the box and Ryan tossed the protective foam aside so that it hit Shane in the face. It was their play button award for reaching 100,000 subscribers on their channel. Ryan commented on how soft the felt was on the back before he lifted the award and began rubbing the felt side on his face with the same sensual expression he had used to lick the mug. Shane froze momentarily as he stared intently at Ryan, quickly tearing his eyes away to avoid looking too obvious. </p><p>Shane then moved his focus entirely to speaking to Steven, but Ryan continued his odd behavior, seeming pleased when Shane gave him an odd look. </p><p>"Alright, that's enough," Shane finally told Ryan and of course, as Shane was the one who said it, Ryan stopped immediately. </p><p>They got another comment from a user who said that it was sad that they didn't hang out outside of office hours anymore. </p><p>"To say that Shane is the person I've seen the most in the past what, four years? is a completely accurate statement," Ryan said. </p><p>Shane quickly deflected, saying that fans were lamenting that they weren't friends anymore and he joked back and forth with Steven that the only time all of them hung out was strictly for business reasons. Steven wasn't going to let Shane get away with that. Ryan had passed Shane the ball and while Steven had caught it, he was going to throw it right back at them. </p><p>"Some say that when you get together with other founders and found a company together, it's like--" Steven started. </p><p>"Getting married," Ryan finished, his voice soft although his posture was tense. </p><p>"It's literally like getting married. That's what Patrick told us actually," Steven replied. </p><p>"Yeah we all heard that and we all said "I do"," Ryan said with a goofy expression on his face. "Oh my god, how did you know?" Ryan practically squealed at Steven when he noticed that Shane wasn't being responsive at all. </p><p>"I never got a ring from you," Steven deadpanned, amused that Shane's head popped up from looking down at his phone at the comment. </p><p>"What?" Shane asked confusedly. </p><p>After some additional assorted banter, the show continued, with Shane talking about answering more fan questions on their Patreon, which offered exclusive content. However, he stumbled over the word "exclusive" and said "explusive" by accident, and Ryan dissolved into a very intense laughing fit. </p><p>Ryan pressed his head to his lap, resting a hand on his chest when he sat up. He then recounted a story where TJ, someone that had done sound for them, had said the word "splooge" instead of "splurge" once. It was definitely funny, but while Steven was laughing softly and Shane was being his usually smarmy self but with a smile on his face, Ryan was practically dying with laughter. When Shane was around, Ryan consistently needed to call attention to himself, and while Shane exhibited similar behaviors, he had far more decorum and subtlety about it. </p><p>They continued on with a comment from the Dipploccocus, mentioning that he was in possession of The Professor's sister. Steven watched as he could literally see the sexual tension mounting even more between Shane and Ryan. The grip Ryan had on his own arm tightened further, and Shane brushed his thumb along the ceramic of his mug, both of them trying not to look at the other. </p><p>"Does his species, are they reproducing? Are they boning?" Ryan inquired, the volume of his voice dropping a bit. </p><p>"I don't think we should get into that," Shane quickly deflected. </p><p>Shane and Ryan dissolved into giggles at that, Ryan of course being the more animated one. And with a few more comments and reminders about their video premieres and social media, they wrapped up filming for the day. Steven knew that if he had been keeping count, he could safely say that this episode had more sexual innuendos than any of their other videos combined. Shane gave Steven yet another compliment on Grocery Run, and while Steven thanked him and appreciated his sincerity, he scuttled away as quickly as possible. He knew Ryan would have something to say about that. Ryan and Shane had moved to the hallway, and while Steven would later be grateful that none of their staff would be around to witness was about to happen, he was certainly uneasy at what he himself would hear. </p><p>"So I guess that means Steven is your work husband?" Steven heard Ryan accuse on the other side of the wall. If he meant for his tone to be joking, he was certainly failing at it. </p><p>"What?" Shane asked in confusion. </p><p>"We were talking about how starting a company was like getting married," Ryan explained. </p><p>"Yes, and you said "we <i>all</i> said I do"," Shane returned. </p><p>"Yeah and apparently that applies only to the two of you," Ryan shot back. </p><p>Steven shifted uncomfortably. It had never been his intention to come between the two of them, but as Sara assured him, it wasn't about him. It was about the two of them. Being stubborn and stupid. </p><p>"Need I remind you that <i>two</i> of our shows are ones we decided to do together? Just the two of us?" Shane replied. </p><p>"You want him in on those too now?" Ryan said back, and Steven winced at the irritation in Ryan's voice. </p><p>"You're acting like a child!" Shane reprimanded in that same stern tone he had earlier when Ryan kept interrupting Steven. </p><p>"Why don't you just admit that he's your new best friend?" Ryan snarled. </p><p>"Ryan--" Shane began, sounding genuinely hurt by that. Apparently that wasn't enough to deter Ryan in the slightest. </p><p>"Come on, admit it! You--" Ryan's voice stopped then. Steven wasn't sure what happened. </p><p>Shane's hands came up to wrap lightly around Ryan's wrists. </p><p>"Ryan," Shane warned, voice stern again. </p><p>What Steven heard next was something he had never expected to, but he was surprised by how relieved it made him feel.</p>
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